Now, I had scarce made an end of my remark, when again the sad crying
was upon us. It appeared to come from far up the creek, and from far down
the creek, and from inland and the land between us and the sea. It filled
the evening air with its doleful wailing, and I remarked that there was
in it a curious sobbing, most human in its despairful crying. And so
awesome was the thing that no man of us spoke; for it seemed that we
harked to the weeping of lost souls. And then, as we waited fearfully,
the sun sank below the edge of the world, and the dusk was upon us.

And now a more extraordinary thing happened; for, as the night fell with
swift gloom, the strange wailing and crying was hushed, and another sound
stole out upon the land--a far, sullen growling. At the first, like the
crying, it came from far inland; but was caught up speedily on all sides
of us, and presently the dark was full of it. And it increased in volume,
and strange trumpetings fled across it. Then, though with slowness, it
fell away to a low, continuous growling, and in it there was that which I
can only describe as an insistent, hungry snarl. Aye! no other word of
which I have knowledge so well describes it as that--a note of _hunger_,
most awesome to the ear. And this, more than all the rest of those
incredible voicings, brought terror into my heart.

Now as I sat listening, George gripped me suddenly by the arm, declaring
in a shrill whisper that something had come among the clump of trees upon
the left-hand bank. Of the truth of this, I had immediately a proof; for
I caught the sound of a continuous rustling among them, and then a nearer
note of growling, as though a wild beast purred at my elbow. Immediately
upon this, I caught the bo'sun's voice, calling in a low tone to Josh,
the eldest 'prentice, who had the charge of our boat, to come alongside
of him; for he would have the boats together. Then got we out the oars